It was a cold start to the day and chilly most of the way down to Aptos. The Forest of Nisene Marks was gorgeous as always but the trail was littered with fallen branches and generally bumpier than the last time I went. Part way down there was a water crossing and bridge I don't remember before. We ended up doing some splash runs through the water. It was pretty cold and we got our shoes wet but it was so much fun. Towards the bottom, we tried some trails for the first time, instead of taking the road, that were gorgeous. Glad I found out about those. In Aptos, we tried a new coffee shop, Cat & Cloud. Pretty good and a nice place to warm up in the sun. Then it was trekking eastward across farm roads to get to Mt. Madonna. A pretty steep climb that was thankfully shorter than I thought it was going to be. Before entering dirt Summit, there are a lot of "No Trespassing", "Private Property" and "Keep out" signs and a no bike sign as well. Locals trying to steal the road and call it their own. We had no choice but to continue on and risk a run-in with a local. Going back was not an option. Dirt Summit is rolling and way more climbing than we wanted at that point. The views were very pretty though, especially with sunset. The wind had picked up and the temperature had dropped pretty significantly. Temperature-wise, it was about the same as the start but with the wind chill, it felt colder. Everyone was tired and cold by the end but stoked by the ride! UPDATE: When 4 out of the 6 people brought cameras, you get a lot of photos! Thanks to Emily, Daylen, Mike, Jenny, and Nikki for the pics! :)